Take Two: King’s crown making historic comeback

Henry VIII’s lost crown has been re-created over 450 years after adorning the head of the monarch known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church.

­In 1521, the crown which was probably made for Henry's father Henry VII was modestly catalogued in the royal inventory as the "kingis crowne of golde". It was used in the coronations of the king’s children Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, as well as James I and Charles I later on.

The replica weighs 3 kg and is hand-crafted with 344 jewels and pearls like the original. The materials cost an undisclosed five-figure sum, and were paid for by the Historic Royal Palaces, the Guardian reported. The jewelers were challenged to reconstruct Tudor metalworking techniques, including the use of hand-twisted square gold wire, the newspaper wrote.

The replica crown is due to go on display at Hampton Court Palace where the monarch once wore the original.

"It was only worn on big occasions such as Epiphany, and would have been worn on the processional route at Hampton Court Palace", Simone Sagi, spokeswoman for Hampton Court told Reuters.